Battling loneliness at Sheffield Hallam

After spending a lot of January revising and writing assignments, you might have a bit more time on your hands...

But this isn't necessarily the best thing.

There’s an expectation that you will instantly love the independence so if you feel different, it might make you feel like the odd one out, but you're not! A lot of students admit to feeling lonely during university - almost half actually, 46%. It can be hard to make the jump to a lot of independent studying and spending time on your own for the first time.

Social media doesn't help either. You could be sat in your room with nothing to do whilst on Instagram and Facebook people you know are posting pictures of themselves and their many friends having the time of their life. Stop. Try not to compare yourself to them because that will lead down a negative path, your priority should be improving how you feel.

Simple things like getting out of your flat/house, joining societies/sports teams or just speaking to the person next to you in a lecture could really help. It'll help you get out of your typical (and lonely) routine of sitting in your room and not talking to anyone about what you've done that day or how you feel.

Skipping lectures and seminars won't help either. Sometimes you won't feel up to it and might prefer to stay at home, but it helps you to communicate with your fellow students about your everyday life and you could even speak about how you're feeling if you trust them - it would help!

What about when everyone goes home for Easter?If you're not leaving for the Easter break, there are a few little things you can do to make it a little bit easier.

Start by staying healthy because a greasy takeaway will make your feel physically worse too. Cooking will distract your mind for a while and there will be tasty results!

Don't rely on the internet for your interactions. Pick up the phone if nobody is around or simply walk down the corridor and speak to someone.